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I'm considering a charter trip out of San Francisco in early August. I will be flying home the day after my trip so I'm wondering what options any of you have used for shipping you catch. I don't want it too be too cost prohibitive but I don't want to just catch fish for someone else either. I have thought about getting a cooler and some blue Ice and checking it on the plane (can we say ghetto?) or using FedEx or some other shipper. I know that some charter outfits offer shipping too.
I'm guessing I'll have whatever the fishing gods choose for me steaked up or filleted before the trip home.
So what has been your experience with shipping fiah... Is it worth it?
Also, if anyone here knows of a good charter out of one of the SF Bay ports (SF, Emeryville, Richmond, Berkley etc.) I've been before but it's been years.
Thanks
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I'm also interested in shipping fish home, but from Alaska. And am wondering if anyone has any advice to give. I know you can pack it in dry ice and bring some home on the plane.
John
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Ive never done it myself, but my brother-in-law has done the Alaska thing a few times. When he was on his own they did coolers with dry ice and checked them on the plane. The other time the charter company did it for them as part of the package.
P.S. As a former airline "ramp rat" I'll tell you that checking fish/game onto a flight is commonplace and not considered ghetto.
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When I used to go to Alaska we would pack our clothes in the coolers on the way there as well as a couple of duffle bags for the clothes on the way home. At the end of every day we would get the fish in a freezer where we were staying. At the end of the trip everything went into the coolers including that mornings catch and then we checked them on the planes. The other frozen fish kept the fresher fillets chilled til we got home and we always had a nice salmon barbeque the day of our return with the fresh ones. You have to watch the weight careful though because overweight charges can add up fast, compare the airline rate for being overweight ahead of time with other shipping methods to be sure. Even though it may be "ghetto" it may be ideal for a short trip to San Fran as you are not likely to have as much fish as you would from 10 days in alaska fishing for salmon and halibut.
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They have said it all and very well...[  ][ ]
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If you're considering dry ice, check with the airline to see what regulations they might have, or any shipping company as well. Some may have limitations on how much can be packed/shipped. UPS, for example, says that if you use over 5 pounds of dry ice you have to have special haz-mat paperwork and do some pretty impressive hoop-jumping.
[url "https://www.ups.com/content/us/en/resources/prepare/materials/coolants.html"]https://www.ups.com/content/us/en/resources/prepare/materials/coolants.html[/url]
It may be a sacrilege to fresh fish, but you may consider freezing them before you come home. I went to Canada last year with some fellas who just froze their fish, wrapped them in their clothes, and packed them in their luggage. When they picked up their luggage and got home the fish were still frozen solid. (They actually flew from inside the US, so customs wasn't an issue).
If you're not going to eat all the fish right away, why not bring a steak or two home fresh, and freeze the rest before you come home?
Always check the rules. I'd hate to see a news story about a "fish smuggler" being interrogated for days by airport authorities when he tries to sneak 30 pounds of fish into Utah.
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HEY, when we flew to Alaska we filleted the fish, both salmon and halibut, put them in neat ziplock bags, frooze them solid at a place in town that had walk in freezers that you could rent space cheap and when we were about to leave we loaded coolers, that we had checked as baggage on the trip down, with fish and had no problem. They were still hard as rocks when we got home. Not a problem. The only problem will be finding a place to get them frozen. Maybe the dry ice trick would do the trick. I'm sure it would if you had it above and and below the fish. Good luck with it. Let us know how it goes. We packed some food and goodies for the trip in the coolers on the flight down. Worked out well. Good luck, Flashyfish2
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Is there any danger from sealing shut a cooler full of dry ice? If it all dissipates, does the pressure build up? I'd hate to be responsible for making a fish bomb that blows a hole in the plane's cargo hold ]
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Well i did inquire about the dry ice before i flew to florida.And you have to pay an arm and leg and a lot of red tape. If your flight is not a long one you should if you can freeze the fish in air tight bags freeze them . Then get a sturdy box line the inside with plastic bags and ice and seal it very good with tape. Just a sugestion.
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If your chartering, they will set you up with a package deal and they will actually pack it and ship it for you. Thats what they did for me in Alaska.
I did't read your whole post so I hope I didn't read into something.. if I did, disemboul me and us me as bait. [sly]
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Thanks for the info. I knew someone had to have made a trip or two to Alaska and have experience with this type of thing. When I said it was ghetto I just remembered when my grandma would come from Wisconsin with suitcase of Brats and jars of Kraut and who knows what else it just always struck me as strange to carry perishables on a plane especially with your underwear....
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Ocean is right, you should check with the airlines before packing your fish in dry ice. My brother-n-law lives in Alaska, when he sends fish down to us he freezes the fish solid, then packs them in a cooler, with no dry ice. We have never had a problem with the fish thawing out as long as it is frozen solid before the cooler is packed. I'm sure he said that dry ice is illegal on aircraft but your best bet is to call them and find out for sure. Good luck, hope the catching is good for you. WH2
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Oh and also i forgot to mention that when its checked in cargo the temps are cold in that part of the plane! So temps should maintain themselves till you get down in elevation.
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[size 1] I have thought about getting a cooler and some blue Ice and checking it on the plane (can we say ghetto?) or using FedEx or some other shipper.[/size]
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[size 1]I don't get it. Why would it be "ghetto" to ship fish home in a cooler on the same plane you are traveling on? If you would rather pay somebody else an absorbitant fee to pack it and ship it for you( probably, also on the same plane which you are traveling), go for it.[/size]
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Sheesh, take it easy. I'm sure the shipping of fish can be done in non-ghetto fashion. In fact I think I'll probably do it that way If I have access to a way to freeze and vacuum pack.
I'm sure there would be little risk carrying frozen fish that is vacuum sealed. I guess I was just thinking about some of the bus trips in So. America where people bring chickens and pigs and other barnyard critters with them on a bus ride, same kind of deal.
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Whoops.....No hostilities intended....I just didn't understand how "ghetto" related to shipping fish in this manner.
Another thing is to bring duct tape, and tape ALL cracks and seals on the cooler. You'd be suprised at how much cold air escapes even the "best" coolers.
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when we went to alaska, we took all our gear in coolers. on the way home i packed the frozen fish into the coolers (with 1 pound of dry ice, the most legally allowed at the time), then we mailed our gear in boxes the cheapest way possible. i think on delta i paid $25 for over weight bags, 50 to 70 lbs and you can purchase and extra bag if needed for $50 that will hold an additional 50 lbs. if i have any advise though, i would have as much of your fish that you can afford vacume packed and flash frozen to make it last much longer than zip locks. good luck, MM
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